Sam Darnold

JJ McCarthy won a National Championship last season at the University of Michigan. He threw the 2nd hardest pass velocity at the Combine. McCarthy was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. In fact, the Vikings traded UP to make McCarthy their QB of the future. That future may be further off than McCarthy hoped.

Free Agent QB signee Sam Darnold will, by all indications, the Vikings starter in game 1 and for the foreseeable future. Minnesota has “made it clear” that McCarthy is not ready to start, will be brought along slowly, and Sam Darnold is the starter. McCarthy’s path will be determined by Darnold’s play. If Darnold struggles, as one might assume would happen after joining his 4th NFL team when he signed with the Vikings, Kevin O’Connell’s hand might be forced to insert McCarthy sooner than he wants. As for now, McCarthy is still a first-rounder in Dynasty rookie drafts, and could be a valuable late QB3 in Best Ball formats.

Sam Darnold hype is back! According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN the Minnesota Vikings are planning to start journeyman Sam Darold over 1st round rookie JJ McCarthy. Citing “untapped potential” for the reason to start Darnold. Sam Darnold has never lacked the skill set to look exactly like what you want in a quarterback. His problem is 70 turnovers in 67 games played. You can argue that the Vikings offer some great targets for Darnold in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Starting Darnold is in the best interest for JJ McCarthy to learn the ropes, in order to avoid overwhelming the rookie like Darnold was in New York.

Darnold will be a low end fantasy quarterback, and should only be starting in advantageous matchups. There is no doubt Darnold can make explosive plays with Jefferson and Addison, it’s just the matter of whether he can be consistent enough to make both receivers viable options every week. I fully expect the leach to be very short on Darnold as his turnovers have led to his quick benching in Carolina. Vikings will end up starting the rookie McCarthy sooner than later.

Sam Darold is only viable in superflex formats as a consistent starter until he is benched. Otherwise keep McCarthy as a wavier wire pick up in your standard leagues.

The Minnesota Vikings have made a significant move by signing former third overall pick, Sam Darnold, to a one-year, $10 million contract. Despite being just 26 years old, Darnold brings six years of NFL experience, spending three years with the Jets, two with the Panthers, and last season as the backup to Brock Purdy in San Francisco.

In the limited action he saw last year, Darnold started one game, completing 16 out of 26 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 19 yards and another touchdown.

With this opportunity in Minnesota, Darnold aims to follow in the footsteps of his former Panthers teammate, Baker Mayfield, who rejuvenated his career with a one-year “prove it” deal before securing a new contract with the Bucs. Despite nearing 27 when the season begins, Darnold’s age suggests he still has plenty of time to turn his career trajectory around.

Under the guidance of former quarterback-turned-head coach Kevin O’Connell and surrounded by offensive weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson, Darnold has a prime opportunity to showcase his skills and prove himself worthy of being a starting quarterback in the NFL to both the city of Minneapolis and himself.

49ers head coach announced that quarterback Brock Purdy has been placed in the NFL’s concussion protocols.

If Purdy is unable to be cleared, Sam Darnold would be his replacement in Week 8 as San Francisco hosts the Cincinnati Bengals. The 49ers are Darnold’s third team in four years after three ineffectual seasons with the New York Jets and two more with the Carolina Panthers. The 49ers elected to trade away talented backup Trey Lance earlier in the 2023 pre-season. Lance was the 3rd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

UPDATE: Purdy has cleared protocols and is slated to start, according to Adam Schefter via Twitter.

Sam Darnold, the former No. 3 pick for the Jets, has been named second on the depth chart for the San Francisco 49ers. After spending last season with the Panthers, the quarterback has a fresh start to be the first clipboard holder for the reigning NFC West Champions. Coach Kyle Shanahan has been complementary of Darnold’s style and arm talent, and it seemed fitting that the team would bring him in to compete for the backup job behind Mr. Relevant, Brock Purdy.

The 49ers have dealt with plenty of injuries so this move should prove relevant as the season goes along, in case of a Purdy injury or benching for performance. The reclamation project in Darnold might be another feather in the cap for Shanahan, who is hailed around the league as an offensive guru.

As far as Trey Lance, the team’s own No. 3 overall pick from 2021, this could signal the end of the line for the quarterback with only 4 starts to his name. With the leagues implementation of the new Emergency QB rule, this proclamation may mean absolutely nothing for the team itself, but in case it doesn’t and a trade is likely, a fresh start may be needed for Lance to gain any reps in the future.